As a retired professor at the University of the Philippines, I am devastated and outraged at the death of UP Diliman student leader Alyssa Alano, who was slain in a military offensive in Negros Occidental, along with 18 others. The Philippine Army's official position that all casualties are members of the “Communist Terrorist Group” must be seriously scrutinized.
Many young people like Alyssa visit the countryside to investigate the lives of deprived communities, and there are credible (…)

More than 1.4 million displaced Gazans are living amid infestations, sewage, food scarcity and constant waiting, while war and bombardment continue overhead
A municipal worker disinfects tents and pathways at a camp in Khan Yunis after a major pest infestation, southern Gaza Strip, in April. Fleas come out at night, toddlers cry in pain, and no one sleeps through the night. Credit: Bashar Taleb / AFP
Rats tap-dance into the tent at night, skipping over sleeping children and parents (…)

While an independent investigation of the armed forces seems warranted here, the CPP-NPA also faces a profound ethical and political accountability regarding its recruitment and the deployment of the youth
The death of Alyssa Alano and 18 others during a firefight in Toboso, Negros Occidental, is a tragedy that should resonate far beyond tactical reports and kneejerk, polarized reactions from social media. From the lens of transitional justice, her death is not merely a casualty of war; it (…)

Partido Manggagawa joins the growing call for an immediate, independent, and impartial investigation into the Negros encounter that left 19 people dead, including a UP student and an independent media practitioner who reportedly were in the area for social research when the encounter happened.
The military's claim of a legitimate operation does not settle the matter. The reported killing of non-combatants raises grave concerns of possible violations of international humanitarian law. (…)

Though he has been dead for more than 100 years, Vladimir Lenin continues to stand at the centre of debates about modern Marxism for his leading role in the Russian Revolution, for his reputed strategic and tactical acumen, and for his vaunted political theories. Evaluating Lenin, however, is a complex task, because of the turbulent and complicated times in which he lived and all that followed. Exalted in the Soviet Union, vilified elsewhere, we must be discerning to discover the (…)